<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>city boy by lankque</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23749078">city boy</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/lankque/pseuds/lankque'>lankque</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Smile For Me (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 16:01:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>459</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23749078</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/lankque/pseuds/lankque</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>15 minute drabble from a tumblr prompt</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>city boy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Boris was taken aback by Kamal using the word “babe.” It drew him from his daydreaming of far-off places, back into the gray and drizzly reality that was the city. Kamal seemed so much more at ease in the city than Boris was. The shorter man seemed more confident in such a crowded place than he had in the Habitat—although Boris could barely say that the word “confident” suited the man. Boris looked down at Kamal, who distractedly twirled a finger through raven locks of his hair while he spoke on the phone. Boris watched as Kamal’s eyes traced invisible patterns in the street traffic, lips parted and ready to reply to the other person on the phone when it was his turn.</p>
<p>It was almost like the two had switched personalities. Habit had been so much more comfortable with himself at the Habitat. Out in the middle of nowhere, in control of his environment, he didn’t need to worry about others’ judgments of him. Here in the city, people flowed down the sidewalks like packs of walking hot dogs, beady eyes like those of magpies, ready to swoop in at any weakness. Cars and cigarettes clouded up the atmosphere. Habit had gotten used to the presence of laughing gas at the Habitat, so it didn’t necessarily bother his lungs, but it still seemed to snag in his throat and cloud his senses in a threatening way. Voices and advertisements and mechanical noises filled the air heavier than any smog could. It pounded against Habit’s head.</p>
<p>He’d agreed to come with Kamal on a job interview the man had scheduled; Boris was happy for him, really. Kamal had really been pulling his life together since their time at the Habitat. He and Parsley had found some things in common apparently—enough for Parsley to finagle Kamal a job opportunity along with the chance to live together. Kamal had even been getting less anxious—maybe partially due to being back in his natural environment, but Kamal had confided in Boris a few “really great therapists” he knew of. Even went as far as to give him a hand-written list. Boris had kept it, of course, pinned it on his refrigerator even with a heart-shaped magnet, but hadn’t understood why Kamal had given it to him.</p>
<p>Kamal’s voice turned more awkward than it had been—Habit’s heart fluttered at the familiar uncertainty in his tone, the nervous laugh Kamal gave that Boris had come to know so well.</p>
<p>“Yeah, alright. Thanks again, Parsley.” A brief pause while something was passed from the other side of the receiver to Kamal. His smile faltered awkwardly, and he turned his head away from Boris. “Uh, y-yeah. You too, uh, hon. See ya later.”</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>